Jason's first experience playing the guitar was with his father's old acoustic guitar at the age of seven. While his rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" did not top the pop charts , this experience eventually led to his picking up the instrument for serious study at the age of 15. Over the next 20 years, Jason studied privately with several teachers in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee, as well as taking guitar electives at UALR. Early in his 20's, Jason learned to play bass and keyboard to aid in creating his own music, an eclectic blend of funk, rock and jazz.

During this time, Jason was actively climbing the corporate ladder in his career with AT&T, but always took advantage of opportunities to play and teach when available. In 2006, Jason finally decided to pursue his true passion for music and open Little Rock Jams. His intent was to create a lesson studio in the Central Arkansas area that would offer both lessons and jam opportunities for the students, as well as create a studio that would instill into all students a passion for making music.

Jason's influences include John Coltrane, Steve Vai, Wes Montgomery, Prince, Phil Keaggy, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci and Miles Davis.

Brian has been playing for 12 years, and like most musicians his age, he started out playing 1980's rock and metal. Brian was self-taught until 1997 when he attended the Berklee College of Music summer program. Continuing his music education, Brian is currently a senior at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, working towards the completion of his Bachelor of Arts degree, with an emphasis in jazz guitar performance.

Some of Brian's favorite players are John Scofield, John Pizzarelli, Pat Martino and Wes Montgomery. His influences include Norman Brown, Charlie Christian, Lee Ritenour and local guitarists Steve Struthers and Ted Ludwig.

Stephen is an all out self taught guitarist who has played for over fifteen years. Concentrating primarily in blues guitar, Stephen began learning his craft by watching and playing with other musicians while living in Colorado, Texas, and Arkansas. He also counts his experiences playing with musicians on Beale Street in Memphis TN as major part of his musical education.

Stephen also has experience with booking and promoting live music and has a passion for live performance. He currently plays lead guitar for South 61 and is very involved in promoting live local music for Central Arkansas.

Stephen's influences include Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dewayne Allman, Luther Dickinson, R.L. Burnside, Michael Houser, and all the great folks still sitting in the park down on Beale Street.

David grew up in Little Rock and started playing guitar at the age of thirteen. Primarily playing rock guitar and fingerstyle acoustic guitar, David played and performed with a local, all original rock group called the Joe Mansur Band. During this time, David studied guitar with former P.O.D. guitarist Jason Truby for eight years and eventually started teaching guitar at local music stores.

As a student of Michael Carenbauer at UALR, David’s focus changed to jazz guitar. After receiving a B.A. with an emphasis in jazz guitar performance from UALR, David went to graduate school at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio where he studied with Chris Buzzelli. While at BGSU, David taught group guitar class, Jazz Combo, and Guitar Ensemble.

After receiving a M.M. in jazz studies from BGSU, David became a faculty member at UALR teaching Intro to Music, Aural Skills I, and Applied Guitar. While at UALR, he also taught guitar for the UALR Community School of the Arts. Although a formally trained musician, David is interested in the way most guitar players learn how to play and has written a method book, called Street Guitar, designed for students who play by ear and primarily read tab.

David’s influences include all of his teachers, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Ella Fitzgerald, Jim Hall, Danny Gatton, Dave Mustaine, Dimebag Darrell, Frank Zappa, Phil Keaggy, Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant, and Johnny Adams.

Sally Howell comes from a small town in Missouri and moved to Nashville 12 years ago to pursue a career in music. She attended Belmont University and received a BA in Voice Performance. Sally has toured nationally and internationally with her band, Mustang Sally.

After road life, Sally decided to settle down and focus on her songwriting and began writing for Ash Street Music, a respected publisher in Nashville. Before moving to Little Rock, Sally was busy with songwriting, singing demos, and performing with her most recent band, Candi Apple Red.

If you’re looking for a vocal coach with industry experience, or a piano teacher with songwriting skills, Sally is it!

William started playing when he was seventeen and received his B.A. with an emphasis in jazz guitar performance from UALR in 2004. While attending UALR William participated in the Guitar Ensemble as well as the Pop Choir, a group that performed various tunes from a range of musicals. William has 5 years teaching experience in various styles of music.

John spent the first years of his life growing up in Mountain View, Arkansas; the “Folk Music Capitol of the World”, where live music wasn’t a hobby but a way of life, and every evening the locals would congregate in the town square to play together and trade songs. He picked up guitar at age 11, moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and has been performing publicly since the age of 14. John began playing in open blues jams early on, then graduated to playing with various rock bands from Arkansas and Nashville, Tennessee.

In an effort to expand his knowledge and musical horizons, he decided to pursue formal training at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock participating in jazz studies under Steve Struthers and Professor Michael Carenbauer. There he played for the UALR Jazz Combos and Guitar Ensemble. John holds a degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Studies. He has performed with The (Art) Porter Family, The Carl Mouton Band, The Ted Ludwig Trio, The Loft (of Nashville), and StarRoy to name a few. He also plays with his own project, and offers accompaniment as well as solo acoustic performances.

John has been teaching Guitar and Bass at Little Rock Jams since 2010 and has been the head instructor of the Rock School Performance Program.

Mark has been playing drums for over 18 years. During this time, he has extensive performance and touring experience with several local bands.

His influences range from Pop to Jazz. He enjoys teaching many different styles to ensure the student has a solid foundation in technique and theory.

After completing an undergraduate degree in music from Duquesne University and a graduate degree from Carnegie-Mellon University, Michael Monnikendam has found himself performing in concert halls, stages and churches throughout Europe and the United States. While in school, he had a double minor in piano and organ.

He is presently the organist/choirmaster at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in North Little Rock. His goal is to help instill the same passion and love for music that he has in those he teaches.